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architecture and design magazineTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:51:02 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1Designs unveiled for new public library in Iraqhttp://www.dezeen.com/2013/06/11/designs-unveiled-for-new-baghdad-library-by-ambs-architects/
http://www.dezeen.com/2013/06/11/designs-unveiled-for-new-baghdad-library-by-ambs-architects/#commentsTue, 11 Jun 2013 17:05:34 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=324351News: British-Iraqi firm AMBS Architects has disclosed its designs for the first public library to be built in Iraq since the 1970s. The 45,000 square metre building will be located on a teardrop-shaped peninsula at the heart of the Youth City masterplan dedicated to supporting and inspiring young Iraqis. A double-curvature roof structure with an […]

]]>News: British-Iraqi firm AMBS Architects has disclosed its designs for the first public library to be built in Iraq since the 1970s.

The 45,000 square metre building will be located on a teardrop-shaped peninsula at the heart of the Youth City masterplan dedicated to supporting and inspiring young Iraqis.

A double-curvature roof structure with an 80-metre span will create the world's biggest single-span reading room.

The library will house a collection of over three million books, including rare manuscripts and periodicals, as well as computers, digital media resources and spaces for hosting performances and events.

A message is to be built into the design of the roof: when viewed form above it will display the word "read" written in the Arabic Kufic script.

"We have challenged the conventional library model, conceiving it as a modern, multi-functional public space," says AMBS Architects co-founder and director Marcos De Andres. "We identified core activities and paid special attention to the exchanges we wanted to engender through use."

British-Iraqi architects announce first public library to be built in Iraq since the 1970s

AMBS Architects have revealed their ambitious design for the new Baghdad Library. The building brings together form, function, and cultural significance. The 45,000 sqm structure will be the central focus of a planned Youth City that has been designed to inspire Iraq’s younger generations.

The new Baghdad library scheduled to tender this year, will be a public space and cultural center designed to encourage intellectual, creative and social exchange. AMBS Architects, who were commissioned by the Ministry of Youth and Sport, hope to inspire a new model for libraries in Iraq and internationally with this elegant, multipurpose building.

Saad Eskander, Director of the National Library of Iraq said: "It is imperative for the new Iraq to consolidate its young democracy and good governance through knowledge. New libraries have a notable role to play by promoting unconditional access to information, freedom of expression, cultural diversity, and transparency. By responding to the needs of Iraq's next generations, the new library, we hope, will play an important role in the future of our country."

The project represents a crucial step in the rebuilding of Iraq, which has been underway since 2003. Over the past nine years AMBS founder Ali Mousawi has played a significant role in the country’s redevelopment. He said: "Before 2003 Iraq had almost collapsed after a thirteen year embargo and eight years of war. This kept the country isolated from the world and from modern technology. I had to leave Iraq myself in 1982 and returned in 2003 to assist with the rebuilding of the country, with the aim of revitalising Iraq and establishing a new vision for the future. What I saw when I returned and still see today is that the Iraqi youth are in many ways lost. They have been surrounded by violence, and for years there has been a lack of services and few opportunities for work or personal development. We hope that the library will help shape Iraq’s next generation of intellects and politicians, artists and writers, poets and musicians, doctors and lawyers, and change makers."

AMBS Architects sourced New York based firm ACA Consultants, one of the world's leading library consultants and planners, with the aim of building a collection of over three million books, including rare manuscripts and periodicals. The library will also house cutting edge technology for performance and events. State of the art computers and digital media will provide a vital resource for many young people who have limited access to such facilities AMBS Co-founder and Director Amir Mousawi said: "This will be an accessible library for all ages. Our ambition is to create a space where people can run a serious and consolidated programme of public events; art exhibitions, book clubs, theatre events, educational conferences, film screenings and workshops."

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Sport and Youth said: "Our vision is to bring hope back to the young people, to build them a new cultural centre where they can express their talent and ideas. The whole library will be modern; it won’t simply be a place to find books, but a freely accessible place of knowledge." The library is designed to engage and empower visitors, and to encourage open exchange. The building’s lightweight, single-span roof, creates a vast open plan space, allowing people to read and navigate the building logically. The practical and cultural importance of light is demonstrated through an encrypted message in the the design of the roof, which forms the word 'read' written in Arabic Kufic script. This is documented as the first word spoken by God to the Prophet (PBUH).

Functionality, intuitive organisation, and rational user-friendly design were all key concepts which shaped the building from the inside out. AMBS Co-founder and Director Marcos De Andres said: "The Baghdad Library is more than simply a sleek and strikingly beautiful structure – what makes this building truly remarkable is the user interface. Our focus was the building's behaviour, and our systematic approach started with a creative dialogue; thinking rationally, reasoning and discussing how the building should work. We have challenged the conventional library model, conceiving it as a modern, multi-functional public space. We identified core activities and paid special attention to the exchanges we wanted to engender through use. Thoughts and ideas gave shape to a set of unique spaces, and little by little an ideal model was formed."

In plan, the building takes the shape of a drop-like peninsula, which projects out onto a lake. The Library will be at the heart of the Youth City; a masterplan of 1,200,000 sqm, with over 30 new buildings, including residential, cultural, official and sports venues.

The library's double curvature roof structure is formed by a two-way steel cable net with a span of 80m across, making it the biggest single span reading room in the world. The roof is comprised of modular panels which support both a photovoltaic system and arrangement of skylights. The skylights follow the curve of the roof and were designed specifically to allow constant levels of illumination into the reading areas.

Interior

The heart of the building is surrounded by floor plates, which form a cascading terrace and create a directional valley that contains the various reading areas and event spaces. The building features a continuous slot around the perimeter, which lets indirect light filter through to internal spaces on the lower ground floor. The floors and walls are designed to create flexible, functional spaces for different cultural, social and educational purposes.

AMBS Architects went beyond the brief to create a visibly sustainable building; a structure that will educate visitors about architecture and technology. This is communicated through the integration of solar panels into the roof, and subtly through the building's mass, form and orientation, making it an example of both renewable energy and passive design. This represents our wider commitment to minimising environmental impact, optimising energy efficiency, and working towards a future where Iraq's economy is not solely dependent on oil.

About AMBS Architects

AMBS is an international team of highly skilled architects, designers and engineers, delivering a two-fold expertise in Architecture and Project Management. Our approach puts into practice participation, creativity and interdisciplinarity, giving primary allegiance to a design process that directly engages the client and end user. AMBS has established itself as one of Iraq's foremost architectural firms, with a growing team of 60 employees in offices in London, Baghdad and Basra.

]]>http://www.dezeen.com/2013/06/11/designs-unveiled-for-new-baghdad-library-by-ambs-architects/feed/12Iraqi Parliament architect attacks "failure" of iconic buildingshttp://www.dezeen.com/2013/01/16/assemblage-faces-competition-from-zaha-over-iraqi-parliament-scheme/
http://www.dezeen.com/2013/01/16/assemblage-faces-competition-from-zaha-over-iraqi-parliament-scheme/#commentsWed, 16 Jan 2013 15:00:03 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=283227News: the architect behind the competition-winning design for a new parliament in Baghdad has spoken out against "fashionable icon building" amid rumours that the Iraqi authorities are in discussions with Zaha Hadid, whose own design was placed third. "The industry is all too familiar with the failure of the fashionable icon building which is supposed […]

]]>News: the architect behind the competition-winning design for a new parliament in Baghdad has spoken out against "fashionable icon building" amid rumours that the Iraqi authorities are in discussions with Zaha Hadid, whose own design was placed third.

"The industry is all too familiar with the failure of the fashionable icon building which is supposed to bring fame to a city and instead brings a cost and functional nightmare, and a rapidly dating aesthetic," Assemblage director Peter Besley told Dezeen. "Some in the client body know this, some do not, and it's something they need resolve internally."

Assemblage was announced as competition winner in August with designs for a network of buildings, streets and plazas, including a circular complex wrapped in Brise Soleil for the elected Council of Representatives. Rather than design a single landmark building, the studio proposes a series of three low-rise structures that would let in natural light and be easy for visitors to navigate. The plans also accompany a masterplan for the adjacent part of the city.

However recent reports state that Iraqi authorities have been in talks with Hadid to address technical enquiries relating to her proposal. A representative from Zaha Hadid Architects told the Guardian: "ZHA was made aware that the competition rules allow for any of the submitted design proposals to be selected for construction, irrespective of placement in the competition, and only on this basis ZHA continues to address the committee's ongoing queries. To our knowledge, no decision has been made."

No images of Hadid's design have yet been released, but the scheme was placed behind Assemblage's proposals by a jury coordinated from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The brief called for "a symbol that tells the history of the great Iraq" and "its distinctive role in human civilisation".

In the Assemblage design the parliament complex is conceived as a work of urban design and not as one large architectural object. The majority of the complex is formed as a pattern of streets ‐ indoor and outdoor ‐ and green courtyards, connecting an arrangement of buildings of a variety of functions. Against this fabric, key landmark buildings and plazas are highlighted, such as the Council of Representatives and the Federal Council. The dialogue of landmark buildings in a low rise urban grain is highly legible and navigable. It is also flexible, easy to phase, zone, and replace. A grading of family relationships exists within this fabric of buildings. The many courtyards and streets allow excellent daylighting and services access, whilst also providing a variety of identities for groups of users as in an urban environment. An extensive horizontal brise soleil structure extends across the two storey fabric, providing continuity of shade and a roof level service zone. A major architectural elevation in its own right, this datum is carefully designed in terms of views from the landmark buildings and forms a plane against which they are read clearly.

The Council of Representatives building is placed as a landmark in the primary arrival plaza on axis to the Zawra Park approach. It has a circular outer shell of monumental brise soleil which protects the building and whose deep shadows tell of the intense Iraqi sun. Encircled within are the two great hemicycles of the Great Hall and the Council Chamber, with technical spaces and services embedded in the spine walls. The charged space between these two great volumes is the Entrance Foyer, further dramatised by raking rooflights. A press conference hall is situated at lower ground level. The public and members may populate the building’s facade by appearing amongst the large fins of the brise soleil. Generous areas adjacent the facade may be occupied on all floors, animating the entire perimeter of the building at all levels. Navigation is simple and intuitive. Users of the building look down from the perimeter areas into the Great Hall and Entrance Foyer, witnessing the motions of government. This transparency in the building is direct: to at once look out over the land and its citizens, and then at those who represent and serve.

A modern parliament building must embody the transparency between citizens and their government which reflects the essential democratic relationship. This is not literal transparency, but is about the building’s feeling of public ownership and accessibility. It must impart the positive possibility of the State: larger than the individual, but supportive and engaging ‐ not aggressive or oppressive.

The Council of Representatives building is formed in the shape of a circle: a strong, simple geometry of great architectural power and lineage. In this context as an image of the State, it is a symbol of convergence and stability. A circle has no one elevation, presenting the same face to all. Divergent axes are co‐ordinated and brought into agreement. The building’s circular plan echoes the shapes of the hemicycles within ‐ themselves a geometry of agreement ‐ and allows views out in all directions from the generous perimeter areas. Direct reference is also made to the historic City of Peace, from which Baghdad takes its name. Having stood just north of the parliament site, the circular city was built by the Abbasid Caliph al‐Mansour in 766 AD at a time when Baghdad was at a peak of power and prestige.

]]>http://www.dezeen.com/2013/01/16/assemblage-faces-competition-from-zaha-over-iraqi-parliament-scheme/feed/18"Iraq aims to revive Baghdad's 'lost' Le Corbusier building" - Yahoo! Newshttp://www.dezeen.com/2012/04/24/iraq-aims-to-revive-baghdads-lost-le-corbusier-building-yahoo-news/
http://www.dezeen.com/2012/04/24/iraq-aims-to-revive-baghdads-lost-le-corbusier-building-yahoo-news/#commentsTue, 24 Apr 2012 11:37:59 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=205961Dezeen Wire: a gymnasium in Baghdad that was designed by Le Corbusier in 1957 is to be restored - Yahoo! News Completed in 1965 under Saddam Hussein, years after the iconic architect's death, the Baghdad Gymnasium has fallen into disrepair following its occupation by American soldiers. See more stories about Le Corbusier on Dezeen here.

]]>http://www.dezeen.com/2012/04/24/iraq-aims-to-revive-baghdads-lost-le-corbusier-building-yahoo-news/feed/0Zaha Hadid to design headquarters for Central Bank of Iraqhttp://www.dezeen.com/2012/02/03/zaha-hadid-to-design-headquarters-for-central-bank-of-iraq/
http://www.dezeen.com/2012/02/03/zaha-hadid-to-design-headquarters-for-central-bank-of-iraq/#commentsFri, 03 Feb 2012 10:47:04 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=190545Dezeen Wire: architect Zaha Hadid is to design new headquarters for the Central Bank of Iraq in Baghdad. Hadid, who was born in Iraq, signed an agreement at a ceremony held at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. See more projects by Zaha Hadid here, including the aquatics centre for the London 2012 Olympic Games. […]

Zaha Hadid Architects and Central Bank of Iraq sign agreement for new headquarters

Zaha Hadid joined H.E. Dr Sinan Al-Shabibi, Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) at a ceremony to sign the agreement between the CBI and Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) for the design stages of the new CBI Headquarters building. The ceremony was hosted at the Victoria & Albert Museum by H.E. Dr Muhielddin Hussein Abdullah, Charges d'Affaires of the Iraqi Embassy.

ZHA have already completed the client’s Brief Development and will immediately commence the design process for the new CBI Headquarters to be built on the shores of the Tigris River in Baghdad. ZHA will lead the international team of specialist consultants including: Adams Kara Taylor, Max Fordham, Newtecnic, DEGW, Gross Max, Davis Langdon, Arup, Warringtonfire, Winton Nightingale and A2 Project Managers.

Dr Sinan Al-Shabibi said: “The new building shall be a symbol of the Bank’s role in the economic development of Iraq and a reflection of the determination to rebuild the country.”

Zaha Hadid said: “I am deeply touched that I have been asked to design the new headquarters for the Central Bank of Iraq. I was born in Iraq and I still feel very close to it. I feel very privileged to be working in Iraq on a design of such national importance.”